


After The Siege

by Tarlan



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Angst, Community: mcsheplets, Episode: s02e01 The Siege (3), M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-08
Updated: 2013-07-08
Packaged: 2017-12-18 03:16:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/875010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tarlan/pseuds/Tarlan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ford has gone, almost revealing their presence to the Wraith in the process, leaving both John and Rodney caught by a need to find their teammate and the need to keep Atlantis invisible from their hungry enemy while also trying to deal with the mental fallout.</p>
            </blockquote>





	After The Siege

**Author's Note:**

> Set immediately after The Siege Part 3.  
> Too many challenges and too little time, so I'm going to go for a slightly bigger challenge and try to integrate these TWO challenges into one story! Written for:   
> **mcsheplets** Prompt: #151 Invisible  
>  **ancientctybingo** Prompt: Just a phase

They all held their breath as the Stargate closed behind Ford's Puddlejumper. With the cloak replacing the shield, they were sitting ducks if the Wraith had noticed the gate activation. When the first of the Wraith ships began to leave orbit, Rodney felt something tight inside of him loosen for the first time in weeks. 

Wanting to share the joy of the moment, he glanced over the rail but spotted John standing alone looking at the deactivated Stargate with his back ramrod straight. Movement caught Rodney's eye and he watched as Elizabeth descended the stairs, crossing the gate room floor to join him. Rodney felt some of the elation fall away as he thought of the young lieutenant who'd become a friend of sorts over the past year. It seemed Elizabeth had learned her lesson about trying to hug Sheppard from the last time, or maybe this time she decided it would be totally inappropriate, especially with Caldwell in Atlantis. She stood beside him but their words were too soft to carry.

Rodney turned back to his work, knowing Sheppard needed time to lick these fresh wounds before he'd be willing to discuss what had happened. It took only moments to locate the dialed address in the Ancient database but Ford wasn't stupid. He would have dialed out again immediately, leaving the Puddlejumper behind as, without the ATA gene, he couldn't fly it. Rodney felt rather than saw Sheppard's approach, turning and offering a weak nod of shared loss.

"I need to know where he went, Rodney."

"The planet with the kids."

Sheppard nodded tightly and moved towards Elizabeth, only to be intercepted by Caldwell.

"Sheppard, I can't authorize a mission-."

"I can't just let him-."

"Colonel Caldwell?" Rodney stepped in before Sheppard said something that would have him sent back to Earth with no chance of ever returning. "At the very least, we need to go to the planet to retrieve the jumper." Rodney launched into a long winded explanation for why it would be where Ford left it, and for why it was so important, counting his victory when he saw Caldwell's eyes roll slightly in acceptance.

"Very well, but I expect you to return within one hour unless there are clear signs that Lieutenant Ford is still on that planet. Do I make myself clear, Major Sheppard."

"Yes, sir."

Caldwell walked away, and Sheppard gave Rodney a slight smile of thanks before heading off in the same direction. He called over his shoulder at Rodney.

"Want you geared up in fifteen minutes, Rodney."

Rodney was tempted to argue that he was needed here on Atlantis but Radek could monitor the Wraith and start setting up the repair crews just as easily as him. With a heavy sigh, Rodney trudged off to gear up.

He was back with only seconds to spare, earning a slight frown from Sheppard before Sheppard signaled Chuck to dial the gate. Rodney watched as the wormhole plumed outward, deadly yet beautiful, and once it settled back he followed a few paces behind Sheppard, Teyla and an unfamiliar marine, probably from either the Daedalus or one of Everett's men. They stepped through to a familiar world half way across the Pegasus dwarf galaxy - and Rodney moaned as it was raining, albeit very lightly. The Puddlejumper was barely a few hundred yards from the Stargate with the back ramp left down, and the others moved towards it carefully, with P90s ready.

There was no sign of Ford but muddied footprints from an Atlantis Expedition boot were headed straight back to the Stargate, disappearing when they reached the rim of the gate itself. Teyla didn't take that at face value though, and Rodney watched as she checked the ground all the way around the Stargate. He saw her look to Sheppard and shake her head.

"So he really has gone?" Rodney asked.

Sheppard's jaw twitched and he gave a tight nod. "Any way of telling where?"

Rodney glanced at the DHD, moving to it quickly and pulling open the panel underneath. He connected up his laptop and began to download the data. If he was lucky then it would pull up the last fifty addresses dialed, and with even more luck, many of those addresses would be duplicates. Still, even if they figured out where Ford had gone, all he had to do was go through the gate to yet another world and then another, and the trail would quickly go cold. Rodney knew what they had to take into account was the fact that Ford wouldn't know that many ' _safe_ ' addresses off the top of his head.

Once the information was downloaded he glanced at Sheppard.

"I can check this back on Atlantis."

Sheppard nodded and headed back to the Jumper, and Rodney debated on following or simply walking back through once the Stargate opened.

"McKay!"

Sheppard's call answered that for him and he felt the Jumper lift, the ramp closing, almost as soon as he entered. Seconds later they were back inside the gate room and rising up towards the Jumper Bay in the level above.

****

Rodney chose the three most likely addresses and made his way towards Sheppard's quarters, deciding it would be better to speak to him without using the radio in case Caldwell was monitoring all the chatter. He waved his hand over the announcement chime and waited, a little surprised when Sheppard answered clad in his boxers and a t-shirt and looking sleep-rumpled. His throat went dry from the sight of dark, spiky hair standing in even weirder directions, and flatted on one side.

He looked beautiful, which wasn't an description Rodney normally associated with a man.

"Oh. Eh. I hope I didn't..." Lost for words, Sheppard took pity on him.

"Ford?"

"Um. Yes. I've narrowed down the possibilities to-."

Sheppard stepped back. "Come in."

"Yes. Of course. Not the right conversation for a corridor." Rodney's eyes widened. "Not that there's anything untoward about searching for Ford."

"Rodney?"

"Eh. Yes?"

Rodney felt the heat of embarrassment flush his cheeks. Perhaps he should have gone to bed too as he was still recovery from the amphetamine high, courtesy of Carson during _The Siege_ , as they all called it. The three cups of heavily caffeinated coffee had simply exacerbated the problem though, to be completely honest, he'd been afraid to fall asleep after all they'd gone through recently. Every time he tried to close his eyes he saw the Wraith drones coming for him, and felt the shock of the bullet magazine ejecting as his twitching fingers hit the release catch.

Teyla had saved him on that occasion, but when he closed his eyes and started to dream, no one came to rescue him.

Sheppard looked at him closely, head tilted slightly while a frown furrowed his forehead.

"When did you last sleep?"

Rodney laughed it off nervously. "I caught a few hours earlier."

He was confused when Sheppard took the laptop off him and placed it down onto a work desk set on one side of the room. Sheppard was back moments later and pressing him to sit down on the rumpled bed. He was shocked when Sheppard crouched down and began to pull off Rodney's shoes and socks.

"What are you...?"

Sheppard looked up. "You're not wearing shoes in my bed."

"Oh." Rodney knew he couldn't be thinking straight as Sheppard's words made too much sense, and while he was pondering over that, he never noticed Sheppard stripping him of his jacket, shirt and then even his pants. His next truly coherent thought was how warm it was in Sheppard's bed, with Sheppard's arms wrapped around him.

"Why are you cuddling me?"

Rodney felt hot breath against the back of his neck. "Bed's narrow, Rodney."

"Oh. Right."

"Go to sleep."

"Oh. Okay." But sleep was elusive despite the comforting weight and warmth of Sheppard pressed against him, and he heard a soft sigh.

"You're thinking too much, Rodney."

"I know. I know. I can't... I keep seeing those Wraith coming for me and... and..."

"And you panicked. Hit the magazine release."

Rodney tensed, filling with shame. "You know about that?"

"Teyla told me. We'll work on that... later," Sheppard mumbled. "The city's safe now. YOU are safe for now."

Awkwardly, Rodney turned in Sheppard's embrace. "Logically, I know that but... It's just a phase I go through after being subjected to extremely fearful situa-."

The kiss took him by surprise, but the surge of raw need was even more shocking, and Rodney gave himself over to it as if that one light kiss had broken open a dam of feelings and fears that washed over him now. Desperately he clung to Sheppard - to John - remembering how it felt when he thought he had lost John on that suicide run; when he thought he might never see him again when the magazine ejected and the wraith came for him; when he thought the whole city was lost before he managed to get the shield up in the last few seconds. He kissed him back fiercely, almost sobbing with relief when John's hands shoved down inside his boxers, grasping his ass and pressing him closer still. He felt the hardness of John's erection through the two layers of thin cotton, and with a frustrated sound, he roughly pushed down on both sets of boxers, kicking his legs until he was free of the restrictive material. Against him, John was all heat and hardness and strong fingers gripping him tightly. He thrust up against him, grinding them together as he choked out a sob into John's neck, feeling his t-shirt ride up as one of John's hands moved from his ass to his back.

Release came suddenly, building so fast that it swept over him like a tsunami, and lethargy followed as his body and mind finally seemed to find some small measure of peace. He murmured in disapproval when he felt cool air against his stomach for a moment followed by a damp cloth that took some of the remaining heat from his skin, but then John was back, holding him tight.

"Sleep now. You're safe now. We're both safe."

For the first time in months, Rodney actually believed those words.

END


End file.
